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Part Twenty-Eight: A Constitutional Crisis
There we go, got the update done. Again, I have no clue how plausible or constitutional this is, but it's a crisis, so constitutionality doesn't matter yet. 
Part Twenty-Eight: A Constitutional Crisis
The Death of Samuel Houston:
While Houston had done well in reaching compromise during his first term in office, his second term was more divided as the southerners were desiring more concessions. Houston's refusal to intervene in the collapse of Mexico created a rift between him and many expansion-minded constituents in the south and led to Jefferson Davis goin on his own filibustering expedition. This rift continued to widen in the first year of his second term upon the death of Roger Brooke Taney. In his place, Houston appointed Abraham Lincoln of Illinois as the Chief Justice of the United States. During Lincoln's confirmation process, previous cases regarding slavery in Illinois were brought up, showing Lincoln arguing both for and against slavery. His exact position on slavery was never revealed at the nomination hearings, but he was narrowly nominated by Congress to the post.
In December 1861, Vice President James A. Bayard fell ill and caught pneumonia in the unusually harsh winter of that year. Only a few weeks later, President Houston was shot after a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina. With the President and the Vice President both incapacitated, Congress convened to determine what should be done. The Constitution at the time was unclear and conflicting in what to do in this situation. While Calhoun had taken the title of Acting President upon the death of Andrew Jackson, he did not take the title of President until his election in 1836. This left the succession rules open for debate. Some suggested that the succession be determined by the House of Representatives as it was in 1824, but there were no clear candidates and a system was not put in place to select candidates in the short time frame necessary. Others suggested that the President pro Tempore of the Senate take the office, but many Congressmen objected. After a month, Congress created a Joint Emergency Presidential Selection Committee. However, this committee would prove to be very controversial during the month of February and the course of selecting who would succeed Houston as President.
Part Twenty-Eight: A Constitutional Crisis
The Death of Samuel Houston:
While Houston had done well in reaching compromise during his first term in office, his second term was more divided as the southerners were desiring more concessions. Houston's refusal to intervene in the collapse of Mexico created a rift between him and many expansion-minded constituents in the south and led to Jefferson Davis goin on his own filibustering expedition. This rift continued to widen in the first year of his second term upon the death of Roger Brooke Taney. In his place, Houston appointed Abraham Lincoln of Illinois as the Chief Justice of the United States. During Lincoln's confirmation process, previous cases regarding slavery in Illinois were brought up, showing Lincoln arguing both for and against slavery. His exact position on slavery was never revealed at the nomination hearings, but he was narrowly nominated by Congress to the post.
In December 1861, Vice President James A. Bayard fell ill and caught pneumonia in the unusually harsh winter of that year. Only a few weeks later, President Houston was shot after a speech in Raleigh, North Carolina. With the President and the Vice President both incapacitated, Congress convened to determine what should be done. The Constitution at the time was unclear and conflicting in what to do in this situation. While Calhoun had taken the title of Acting President upon the death of Andrew Jackson, he did not take the title of President until his election in 1836. This left the succession rules open for debate. Some suggested that the succession be determined by the House of Representatives as it was in 1824, but there were no clear candidates and a system was not put in place to select candidates in the short time frame necessary. Others suggested that the President pro Tempore of the Senate take the office, but many Congressmen objected. After a month, Congress created a Joint Emergency Presidential Selection Committee. However, this committee would prove to be very controversial during the month of February and the course of selecting who would succeed Houston as President.
- wilcoxchar
- Word Count: 380